"Ateneo's role in development is not only running an excellent school but helping other schools become excellent, too. Otherwise, we will become a lonely center of excellence with very little impact in the larger sense." - Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J.

About 92% of Filipino school children are enrolled in public schools in the country. There are about 38,500 public elementary schools and about 5,000 public high schools. To build our country, deliberate, concrete and sustainable steps have to be taken to improve the public schools where the majority of our Filipino youth are being educated.

The problems confronting public basic education in the Philippines today continue to be many and complex: Many classes especially in the urban areas are congested, with as many as 70-100 students in a class. In these classes, 3-4 students either have to share desks intended for two or sit on the floor.

Textbooks are not enough and students in many schools have to share copies among themselves, if there are any. Moreover, many of these textbooks are of poor quality.

Many children come to school without school supplies.

Teachers have no reference materials or necessary teaching devices like charts, meter sticks, and the like.

Many children have poor health conditions including malnutrition and poor eyesight.

Facilities in schools are sorely lacking with many schools without a library or enough toilets.